Pneumatic engine.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

No. 743,326. W. E. PETERS.

PNEUMATIC ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED 0012 14, 1901.

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PATBNTBD NOV. 3. 1903,

W. E. PETERS, PNEUMATIC ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 14, 1901.

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No. 743,326. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

W. E. PETERS.

PNEUMATIC ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001214, 1901. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- ms NORRXS PETERS c0. PHDTO-UTHUL.-WRSFHNGTQN. n. c.

No. 743,326. PATENTBD NOV. 3, 1903. W. E. PETERS. PNEUMATIC ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED O0T.14, 1901.

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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UNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

PNEUMATIC ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,326, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed October 14, 1901. Serial No. 78,637. (No model. I

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM E. PETERS, a citizen of the United States,-residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PneumaticEn gines,of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improvement in pneumatic engines. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view of the pneumatic cylinders detached from the steam-cylinder and main shaft on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view indicated by line IV IV of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section through the working cylinder and its connections to the main shaft indicated by the line V V of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of Fig. 5, showing the valves shifted to establish circulation to the shifting piston, which actuates the intermediate valves f Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section through the steamcylinder and the actuating-cylinder and their valves indicated by the line V1 VI of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view through the actuating-cylinder, workin g cylinder, and controlling-valve indicated by the line VII VII of Fig. 3. sections through the controlling-valve, illustrating the different positions of the valvepiston indicated by the line VIII'VIII of Fig. 2. Figs. 10 and 11 are plan views of the controlling valve, with the ported top removed, corresponding to Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view through the controlling-valve on. the line XII XII of Fig. 2. Fig. 13 is an underplan view of the top of the controlling-valve, illustrating the arrangement of the circulating-ports therein.

My invention relates to improvements in means for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, as steam, through mechanism consist.- ing of fluid-operated engines, wherebythe initially-generated power is utilized, so as to produce results in a more efficient manner than by using the initiallygenerated power direct.

In general terms it consists of the combi- Figs. 8 and 9 are centralvertical nation of a steam-cylinder, an actuating-cylinder, and a working cylinder, the steam being adapted to operate the air or other fluid actuating cylinder, which in turn transmits its fluid under pressure through suitable controlling and regulating mechanism to the operating-engine or working cylinder wherein such fluid under pressure is utilized.

The construction is illustrated in the Various drawings submitted herewith, and its specific construction and operation is as I shall now proceed to describe.

Referringnowto the drawings,A is a steamcylinder, the piston a of which is mounted on a common piston-rod provided with piston b, mounted in actuating-cylinder B, which is charged with compressed air by any suitable means, as an air-pump, (not shown,) or with an incompressible liquid, asalcohol, through pipes 2 Fluid from cylinder B passes through port I) to interior of valve F and through port b to air-cylinder C, operating against piston 0. Air in the other end of cylinder 0 passes up through port 12 into interior of valve-cylinder F and down through port 17 and over to front of piston bin cylinder 13. When piston 19 reaches end of its stroke, it strikes pin g, mounted in a bearing in the cylinder head and pivotally connected to crank-arm g, pivoted at 9 and pivotally connected at upper end to one end of rod g carrying pistons G. The same construction is duplicated at the other end of the cylinder. Pistons G in cylinder B, which are properly piston-valves, are adapted to cover ports b 11 at each end of cylinder 13 and leading to opposite ends of cylinder B thus cutting off communication to piston H and maintaining circulation to working cylinder 0 for about three-quarters of the stroke of the main piston, after which valves G and '6, and consequently valves 6 and f are shifted, reversing the circulation. Valve G is connected through its stem to a rocker-arm 9 secured to end of rock-shaft g journaled in suitable bearings on end of cylinder-frames. At the other end shaft 9 is secured to rocker-arm i which is connected to end of piston-rod i carrying piston-valves it, in cylinder I. By this means both of the valves G are shifted immediately before the ends of the stroke of the piston ICO '1), allowing the surplus fluid to pass through ports 13 to operate valve H, which is on'-the end of valve-rod 72, carrying steam-inlet valve 72, mounted in steam-chest on top of steamcylinder A, and at the same time allowing air in front of piston H to circulate back to cylinder B in front of piston 12. On the back stroke when pressure is relieved from either stem 9 the valves G will resume their normal position by reason of equalizing pressurespring g on either side of middle bearing 9 and bearing against flanges g on the piston stem. I

Cylinder B having been charged with compressed fluid, steam is admitted to cylinder A, Fig. 6,'moving pistons a and 19, whereby the compressed fluid in cylinder 13 is forced through port I) to interior of valve F by ports 1) and b to cylinder O to actuate piston c. The air in other end of cylinder passes up through ports b and b to other side of piston 1). Reference is herein had to the operation of the valve mechanism, as shown in Fig. 8. The circulation to and from the working cylinder is controlled by piston-valves f and said piston valves f are in turn controlled by the operation of valve d, actuated through eccentric d and its connections. As piston b arrives at the end of its stroke it strikes pin g, shifting valves G to admit pressure to piston H to reverse valve h, and at the same time actuates lever g shaft 9*, le-

ver 2' and valves '5, thereby opening air communication to piston e.

V are practically simultaneous and occur at the stroke.

end of each stroke, the operation on the return stroke being the same as already described. On back stroke of piston b the valve F will have been shifted to position shown in Fig. 9, when the air will pass through port I), up through port is in cap K, and through port 17 and thence through port 12 to front side of piston c, the exhaust from other end of cylinder 0 passing up through ports 17 and k in cap K and back through port 19* to back side or vacuum side of piston b.

Mounted in cylinder D are valves (1 d, the purpose of which is to cover ports d d during about three-quarters of the stroke of the engine-shaft, such valves d 01 being connected by stem 01 and rocker-arm d to eccentric-rod d operated by eccentric d on the engineshaft, the eccentric acting to shift the valves to open position during the other quarter- By this means the air is prevented from escaping from cylinder 0 during such Working interval, and a portion is then allowed to escape to operate piston e which in turn shifts arm 6, rotating sleeve-e and by crank f shifting pistons f in cylinder F. These pistons must remain stationary during such three-quarter stroke or the engine will be reversed.

Mounted in cylinder I, between cylinders E and D, are valves '5 i, the purpose of which is to close communication between the cylinders E and D during the one-quarter revolution when valve h is being shifted and the engine reversed, such valves c' normally remaining open by equalizing action of spring g operating through connections g g and rock-arm When,-however, the piston Z7 strikes either pin g, and consequently actuates rock-shaft 9 the valve t' will be shifted to cover ports 6 and 1', thereby cutting off communication through ports 6 until the engine has been reversed bypiston H. When communication is established from either end of cylinder 0 through ports (1, i and 6 both valves being open, which will be the case during the full travel of piston 19, (after releasing pressure on stem 9 at one end and before striking the corresponding stem at the other,) air will pass in advance of piston c according to its direction up through ports (1, i, and e and will exert pressure on piston e This piston is connected by rod e, pivoted to rock-arm e, secured to sleeve 6 journaled around and movable independent of shaft 9 and in suitable bearing and provided at the other end with rock-arm f, which is pivotally connected to stem f, carrying piston-valves f in the interior of cylinder F. It therefore follows that the valves f will be positively actuated to establish communication from the actuating-cylinder to the operating-cylinder, as has been already described, during the working interval of each revolution of the main shaft in either direction, according to the direction of the stroke.

It will be noted that the diameter of the working cylinder 0 is smaller than that of the actuating-cylinder B, and in practice the area of the Working cylinder is about one half of that of the operating-cylinder, and it therefore follows that by reason of the pressure exerted upon piston e such piston will travel at double the speed of piston 17, likewise of piston a.

The various valves and their movements already described provide for the inlet and outlet of the forward and backward circulating air under effects of the pressure andexhaust, or, in other words, the piston c is operated upon alternately on opposite sides by the compression of the air through the action of the piston 19, and it will be seen that as thus operated the accelerated movement will be given the piston c, and thus its rod and pitman can be applied to any suitable engineshaft wherein such high speed is desirable.

It will be understood that the proportions of the various parts may be changed and varied from those illustrated and described in order to secure proportionate results of higher or lower ratio, according to the application to which it is desirable the invention may be put, and all such changes and variations are to be understood as being within the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.

generating cylinder and piston, a fluid-actuat in g cylinder provided with a piston, connected therewith, and a working cylinder and piston,

with intervening ports and valves adapted to establish communication between the fluid- .actuating cylinder and the working cylinder,

' means for actuating said valves, consisting of an eccentric and actuating-levers with stems connected therewith adapted to be engaged by the piston of the fluid-actuating cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, the combination of a powergenerating cylinder and piston, a controllingvalve therefor, a fluid-actuating cylinder pro vided with a piston connected with the piston of the power-generating cylinder, a piston connected with the controlling-valve of the power-generating cylinder, intervening ports between the fluid-actuatin g cylinder and said piston, a controlling-valve, and means for actuating said controlling-valve G consisting of an actuating-lever provided with stems adapted to be engaged by the piston of the fluid-actuating cylinder, substantially as set forth.

3. In apparatus for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, the combination of apowergaged by the piston of the fluid-actuating cylinder,substantially as set forth.

4. In apparatus for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, the combination of a fluidactuating cylinder provided with a reciprocating piston, means for actuating said piston,

a working cylinder provided with a piston, circulating-ports and a controlling-valve located between the fluid-actuating cylinder and working cylinder, ports and valves adapted to supply and regulate a flow of fluid from the flui d-actuatin g cylinder to the controllingvalve and from the controlling valve to the working cylinder, means for actuating said valves, consisting of independently-operated lever-shaft and levers, with levels and stems connected therewith adapted to be engaged by the piston of the fluid-actuating cylinder, substantially as set forth.

5. In apparatus for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, the combination of a fluidactuating cylinder provided with a reciprocating piston, means for actuating said piston, a working cylinder provided with a piston, a controlling-valve between the fluid-actuating cylinder and the working cylinder, circulating-ports between said valve andsaid cylinders, supplemental valves adapted to control the supply of fluid to the working cylinder, and means for actuating said valves consistin g of independently-operated lever-shaft and levers, with levers provided with stems adapted to be engaged by the piston of the fluidactuating cylinder, substantially as set forth.

6. In apparatus for utilizing an initiallygenerated power, the combination of a fluidactuating cylinder provided with a reciproeating piston, means for actuating said piston, a working cylinder provided with a piston, a power-shaft and connections therewith from said piston, supply-ports for the working cylinder and valves therefor with eccentric mechanism for shifting said valves, a controllingvalve between the fiuidactuating cylinder and the working cylinder, circulating-ports between said valves and said cylinders, supplemental valves adapted to control the supply of fluid to the working cylinder, and means for actuating said valves consisting of independently operated lever-shaft and levers, with levers provided with stems adapted to be engaged by the piston of the fluid-actuated cylinder, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM E. PETERS. itnesses:

J. F. MGKENNA,

O. M. CLARKE. 

